


I’m waiting for it, that green light

by fandomwolfx



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 5x08 spec, Canon Divergence, F/M, Jealousy, Mentions of alcohol, Varchie!Centric, i guess ???, mentions of cheating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 13:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30005826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomwolfx/pseuds/fandomwolfx
Summary: Because what could go wrong at a key party ?What I would *love* to occur in 5x08
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	I’m waiting for it, that green light

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven’t watched the 5x08 trailer I would to understand what’s going on !!!

Archie figures that as the guy who caused the most amount of drama throughout the night, he should at least be the one to help (and by help he means single handedly) Cheryl clean up the mess at Thornhill: they might all be in their twenties now but they knew how to wreck a house like teenagers still. 

During the key party (or really glorified spin the bottle) he had attempted to calm his nerves by drinking maybe one too many warm beers, that he was now paying for as every bottle he bent over to pick up from the floor left his head reeling and stomach nauseous. 

The memory of Chads hand gripping Veronica’s arm so tightly that her flesh seemed to indent under his palm also being a reason his throat seemed to be filling up with bile. 

Whilst alcohol normally ends with Archie majorly regretting his actions, his now sober self is glad he told Chad to watch his hands, another part of himself glad that Veronica’s husband was so perturbed by the idea of her kissing an apparently  _ “dead old flame, kindling at this point really.”  _ To quote the woman in question herself. 

The comment stung, but also ached too like the knowledge that he was no longer a prominent part of her life was both an old wound being reopened and simultaneously a harsh reality being realized. They had spent a lot of time together recently: in the student lounge, the old rec Centre, at the Pembrooke, honestly pretty much all over the entirety of Riverdale - whilst he had begun to think that maybe these small, intimate and honestly quite domestic scenes could mean possibly something more for them, he was still aware she was off limits. She had a husband and he had, well, he didn’t exactly  _ have  _ Betty more than have  _ something  _ with Betty and he honestly wasn’t that interested in turning that something into anything more. 

Even though he knew that Veronica was no longer an option, that still apparently didn’t stop him from choosing her key during the game. 

It was fairly obvious who it belonged to, he couldn’t exactly imagine Reggie or Jughead having a keychain that had a Louis Vuitton dangling from it- or wait is it a Louboutins? Whichever one has the red sole he can’t remember. 

He heard someone (probably Kevin) mutter behind him that it must have been fate, but it wasn’t: it was premeditated, thought out and yet… simultaneously reckless. 

Archie hasn’t missed the bite of the word  _ ex  _ that left Chads mouth when he recognized the keychain of his wife, springing out of the Blossoms loveseat in disdain.

After an intense stare down between himself and Chad, a clenched jaw and a brush of Veronicas fingertips on both their biceps ushering them to calm down both men sulked away to their respective corners as she announced that that particular round of the game had ended- much to Cheryl’s chagrin. 

He sat in the corner for the rest of the night as an observer: 

Reggie and Fangs kiss, Chad places his palm on the mid of her thigh. 

Cheryl and someone who he thinks is called Marble kiss, the hand wanders. 

By the time Kevin is picking a key Archie has to take a generous swing of his drink and turns to look in the other direction - at Toni, who’s eyebrow is arched up at him clearly knowing. 

The clattering noise of a half empty bottle falling brings him back to present time and far away from the nights earlier activities, he looks down at the patterned carpet beneath him and figures that it will be difficult for any stain to show up on the monstrosity and continues on his search for easily cleanable things - like littered cans and other drinks. 

He moves haphazardly around the open space and after a few minutes is convinced he’s cleaned up at least the visible mess, and he’s about to tie a knot in the trash bag when Thornhill’s double oak doors and Veronica Lodge steps through… 

Alone. 

“Oh” she says, eyes blinking and mouth falling into an “o” shape, clearly surprised to still find Archie at the Blossom residence. 

“Veronica…” he replies, assuming that he’s had all ‘Ronnie’ privileges revoked, “what are you doing here?”

“I, uh, I left my phone on one of the couches I think, just here to get it and go” she finishes mashing her lips together, and Archie frowns not used to seeing nervous gestures on her face. 

“What are you still doing here?” 

He holds up the black trash bag as an indicator.

“Right, should have guessed that Cheryl wouldn’t be willing to play clean up after here night of chaos” 

She adds a little chuckle onto the end, and Archie has to duck his head to hide his own smile.

“Pls tell me you aren’t driving home Archie, I saw how many beers you had tonight, I could call Smithers and ask-”

“It’s fine Veronica.” He says punctuating the sentence by letting the trash fall to the floor, “Betty’s gonna give me a ride home, but she went to take Jug home first, y’know considering the state he was in.” 

He sees her nod stiffly, guessing it’s out of concern for Jughead- they were all pretty concerned for Jughead seeing how drunk he got, and how regularly he admitted he was drinking too. 

“Anyway” he adds, “I’m not even finished tidying the place up yet.” 

He doesn’t know why he says this, it’s a blatant lie. 

Whether it’s an attempt to fill the awkward silence between the two of the m,  or because he wants an excuse to stay, he’s not too sure. 

Veronica’s eyes flicker over the mostly tidy room and arches a brow at him. 

“I am well are of your standards of room cleanliness Archie, this is most certainly your definition of spic and span.” 

Heat travels up his neck at the thought she’s figured out that he’s desperate to cling onto any moment with her he can have, automatically his hand drifts to scratch the back of his head, but he falters - well aware of the fact Veronica  _ knows  _ this is one of his own nervous gestures. 

“You got me there” he responds, “but anyway I have to wait for Betty so I’ve unfortunately got to stick it out at the Blossoms a little longer.”

“I remember in high school you were always ready to pretty much drag  me out of here or Thistlehouse because of the heebie-jeebies the family gave you”

She’s looking him straight in the eye as she says so and he remembers all the times he used that as an excuse to take her by the hand and lead her to his car and most likely his bed. 

There’s a beat of silence and it’s not awkward but it’s not necessarily comfortable either, more like  _ tense. _

He realizes she’s still stood in the doorway. 

“Do you want help?” he asks suddenly causing her to bristle, and she looks confused by his question. 

“With finding your phone... ” voice trailing off at the end. 

“I'm sure it’s probably just down the love-seat cushions, but thank you.” 

Archie stands there, hands in his front jean pockets as she µoves towards the couch. She grimaces when her fingers dig around the crevices of the couch and then sighs when she pulls back empty handed. 

“So decidedly not in the couch cushions” she announces to no one in particular, pinching the bridge of her nose in the process. 

“Okay then, well at least let me help you look.”

“I think I can allow that.”

“Great.”

They look around in pretty much silence, apart froµ when she starts humming a song that was playing from earlier in the night and Archie taps out the following beat onto one of the ar m s of a couch. His µind is running through all sorts of conversation he can initiate, but he’s never necessarily been one for words (unless they'reµ in a song) and this situation is no different. 

They’ve see m ingly looked in all of the couches and surroundings, Veronica  makes a joke about how if she’s left it on the floor she µight as well give up now, because even a bedazzled motorola would blend in to obscurity with a rug like this. 

She stands there with a scrunched brow, and Archie’s sure his face is dawning a similar expression- both equally confused as to where the phone could have gone when a buzzing noise perforates the silence.

Actually, it’s not really a buzzing, it’s louder and almost like a rattle ? Certainly not the sound of something smushed between couch cushions. 

The rattling continues as the two adults scan the room trying to find the source of the noise. Archie sees a vase resting on a cabinet at the far end of the room and moves towards it. As he steps closer the noise gets louder and he becomes more certain that this is where her phone is - he also distinctly remembers Archie stood next to the ornate pottery a few hours before, laughing to himself as well. 

Archie rolls his eyes at Reggie’s immaturity. 

He dips his hand into the vase, and the buzzing stops just as he reaches his hand in, but his fingers do come into contact with what can only be presumed as Veronica’s phone. 

When he retrieved the phone he’s met with her home screen (which thankfully he can not see, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to take seeing her husband in the place he used to reside) but instead with a flood of messages from Chad, ranging from six minutes to thirty seconds ago, along with the missed call. 

_ Can you hurry up, I’ve had enough of your friends tonight I want to go home.  _

_ Where are you ? Are you still in there?  _

_ I can see Archie’s truck, you better not be talking with him. _

_ What are you doing? You must have found your damn phone by now?  _

_ Veronica.  _

Archie swallows harshly and can feel his Adam’s apple scratching down his throat as he pushes his disgust and rage down, this is neither the time nor the place to outwardly express his grievances about Veronicas husband to … Veronica. 

“Found it” he replies, voice a little too serious and slightly raspy. 

Her hand reaches over and absentmindedly takes the phone, taking extra precaution to not brush her fingers against his and his eyes follow the movement of the rock on her finger. 

Her face falls when she stares at the screen. Both of them aware that Archie has also just read those messages

She hastily pushes the device into her bag and wafts some hair over her shoulder. 

“He’s honestly not that bad” she exclaims, “you’ve just caught him on a night where he’s acting slightly more irritable, like an inverse Ron Swanson, he’s only in a bad mood because he misses work.”

“Ronnie” shit. “You don’t owe me an explanation” 

Her eyes narrow, “I’m aware that I don’t owe  _ you  _ an explanation, and anyway you must understand that watching your wife be told to kiss their most substantial ex lover would ruffle anyone’s feathers” she replies primly. 

He  _ thought  _ he was just supposed to be an old flame 

He  _ thought _ that Chad was only irritated because he missed the big city and not because of some hypothetical kids.

Archie could say all this to her, but he’s never been good at a verbal show down like she is so instead he just nods. 

“I get it,” he adds, because if he can comfort or reassure Veronica Lodge in any way he’s going to try, “I do, I get it.” 

“I mean there was no reason for his feathers to get ruffled obviously” she adds hastily, “It wasn’t like we were actually going to kiss or anything” she tacks on the end, arms folded and gaze firmly on the floor. 

Bullshit. For the second time in the past two minutes Archie calls bullshit. He’s known this woman for around ten years and has loved her actively and passively (sometimes both) for the majority of that time, he knows when she’s lying. Not only can he recognise her lies, her actions from the night prove that she was going to go through with it. 

Betty had informed him a few days ago that it requires three occasions/ items of evidence for something to be considered a pattern, and therefore an outcome. 

  1. They had a five minute break before Archie was to pull out a key from the bowl, and during that break he watched as she inconspicuously moved towards the bowl inspected her own key and replaced it back in the bowl- at the very top. 



  1. When he pulled out her key, she immediately stood up, before Cheryl had even announced it. 



  1. There was a brief two seconds when Chad looked like he was going to acquiesce and let the round commence, and within those few seconds she drifted from Chad’s side and closer to his own- the familiar smell of Chanel no.5 invading his senses informing him of the act. 



She was going to kiss him, whether it was going to be a maternal peck or something more he has no idea, but still, he was going to get to kiss this woman he's slightly, maybe, probably, most certainly still in love with again. 

He now realizes that the opportunity is lost, but he’s flown too close to the sun now, a joke about Icarus that Veronica Made years ago flutters through his mind. He feels like Gatsby ( he’s watched the film, read the cliffs notes for class once) instead of throwing decadent parties to grab her attention, devoting all his time to renovating her own house for her to live in with another man- he’s been deluded and insane and ridiculous, to think he had a chance when she’s literally a married woman, to think that he could kiss her once more: paradise lost. 

Unless… 

He shuffles forward slightly, braces an arm on the cabinet and closer to her, glad to see that she doesn’t move. 

“You’ve gone quiet” she responds. 

Shrugging, he answers “never been good with words really” 

She chuckles, hand dancing across her throat, fully exposed with the low cut dress she has on. 

“Oh I don’t know about that Archie” she starts, voice slightly breathy, “You’ve said some pretty extraordinary things to me over the years, straight from the romantics really.” 

“I wouldn’t go that far, did you see my SAT score in English?” 

Another silence washes over them. 

“You know I have to apologise to you,” he admits, removing his hand from the cabinet and straightening up, “for picking your key.”

The distance is even smaller now, and the knowledge that it was Veronica who closed the distance this time and the way she was looking up at him through fluttery eyelashes gives him the courage to continue. 

“I wouldn’t want to kiss you in front of all our friends” he says, the breath he releases fanning over her face. 

“Archie-” she whispers, or groans, oh God he doesn’t even know, the pulsing in his ear too loud. 

He can smell the champagne on her breath, and he thinks it's probably best that they’re doing this whilst tipsy so they can neatly wrap this instance up in a drunken fluke. 

“I’d much rather do it in private.”

Her phone and bag falls to the floor. 

He surges forward to kiss her, and before his lips can even touch hers her arms are already secured around his neck, their lips connect for the first time in seven years and as he places one arm around her waist and the other moves up and down her back he lets out a groan into her mouth. 

He’s holding her with so much force that their chests are flush and her feet are dangling from the floor by a few inches. They fall into their familiar pattern of kissing, she takes the top lip whilst he attacks the bottom, pulling at it before soothing it with his tongue. 

Placing her back onto the floor, he bends forward trying to fix the height difference (he can’t believe he’d forgotten how small she was) and the hand that was on her back moves higher up to grasp her hair. What once is wavy, now straight and sleek - or at least it was until Archie started bunching it in his hands. 

Her hands start playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, and he detaches his lips from hers slightly to groan, but a second later she’s chasing them again. 

As they kiss there’s no words and hardly any sounds, any interference and this comes crashing down. 

Her hands move from his hair and she drags her nails down his front, over the t-shirt and to his belt loops, pulling him even closer. 

His own hands follow, moving across her body, palming her chest and resting on her rib cage momentarily before falling to the sides. 

She grabs one of his hands in hers, certainly leaving marks, and on her tiptoes moves forward to place a bruising kiss on his lips. 

Her tongue slips in and he’s about to pick her up again when a buzz from the floor causes them to separate. 

She stares at the phone on the floor, whilst he watches the way her fingers run over her kiss-stung lips. 

Her hair is a mess, so is his. There’s lipstick all over her face and they ripped a whole into her stockings- it’s very clear what had just occurred between them. He doesn’t know whether to be glad or disappointed that there’s no hickeys to be a semi-permanent piece of evidence at what had transpired here. 

He takes three deep breaths before walking straight out of Thornhill’s doors, not looking at Veronica as he does so and not even taking the trash bag with him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Another instalment of Eeliz steals a fic idea from another TV show that she’s watched: this example is obviously taken from Nick and Jess’ first kiss from New Girl (google it, it’s an insane scene) 
> 
> I realised after watching the trailer for next weeks ep that the situation could play out very similar (it won’t but it *could*). If you haven’t seen the show basically Nick and Jess have to kiss for a game and Nick refuses to. At the end of the night the two of them alone and Nick reveals that this is the circumstance/ way he wants to kiss her - not for a game and not in front of loads of people.
> 
> In another common Eeliz move, I also stole the title from a song- this one’s from Green light by Lorde and is a really integral song for nick x jess which is why I thought it would be a good one to use. 
> 
> Also from the promo, I’m not too sure if its Veronica or Archie who gets the key, but for this fic to work it sort of had to be Archie - I’d be fine either way though. 
> 
> Also do I actually think that va are gonna kiss next episode? No, not at all. I think the show is playing the long con with them this season. 
> 
> My most optimistic theory that I have (which is not going to happen either) is that Cheryl refuses to move onto the next round until this one is finished so like Veronica kisses Archie on the cheek or something so they can *technically* move on to the next key. 
> 
> I always worry when writing pics that are somewhat close to canon rn because I just feel like no matter which way you spin it it’s always going to be somewhat problematic because it is cheating and that element of jealousy will always be there too. But I don’t believe that this fic is immoral or offensive in any way, which is the exact opposite of what I want to do which is why I’ve decided to publish, but I think this will be my last fic where V is still married because it does make me a little uncomfortable, but also Chad is a dick and she obviously doesn’t love him so???? Idk it’s messy. 
> 
> ALSO did everyone see the still of varchie painting the Pembroke together, omg it’s so domestic and cute I’m SO excited for that scene 
> 
> Once again, all comments + kudos appreciated and if you want to talk my pics or just varchie in general you can find me on twitter (@ivyxevermore) or Tumblr (@ronniesandrxws) 
> 
> -Eeliz :)


End file.
